The Girl Who Was Never Sorted
by blueoceans1265
Summary: About Snape and Draco and what happened in the fourth book while all the attention was on Harry, and explains why he became so cold. Added characters, so AU. Might be a little OOC, but it's sorta explained. Just read and review, please! T for safety.
1. Section 1

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

"Albus!"

He looked up from his book as she ran in.

"Albus," she said, finding him at his desk. "I'm so glad you're awake. We have a situation," she panted, sounding more Scottish every second.

"What is it, Minerva? I see you have stopped the ruckus outside," he said calmly.

"Yes, well, I believe we have found the source of that," she stated as she ushered Hagrid in. Dumbledore's eyes widened.

"What is this?" he asked. "And already a week into classes."

"We found her on the stairs, sir," Hagrid explained as he laid her on a couch. "She's unconscious."

"I see that, Hagrid," Dumbledore replied. "I believe you should go fetch Madame Pomfrey."

"Yessir," Hagrid said, running out the door.

"Now, Minerva," Dumbledore began. "What are we to do with her? I suppose…"

"What is going on?" Snape said as he rushed in. "First, there's what sounds like a shouting match outside, and just a moment ago Hagrid almost ran me over! Can someone please explain…"

"See for yourself, Severus," the great bearded man replied. "It seems we have a new arrival."

Snape turned towards the couch, finally noticing the girl. He walked over to her, noticing the wild black curls surrounding the skin that was almost too pale to be normal. "Oh. So what do we do with her?"

Dumbledore considered this. "Well, Minerva and I were just about to discuss that when you came in."

"Yes, well, Albus, we will need to know what year she'll be. She's very small, so perhaps only a second or third year…"

Snape lost track of their conversation as the girl slowly began to turn her head to the sound of their voices. He stared as her eyes flickered open and she saw him, appearing as if she wanted to say something. She was weak and in pain, he could tell. As she opened her mouth and tried to sit up, her face twisted into a painful grimace and she fell back, unconscious, onto the couch.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Her eyes, they were green. Bright green, exactly like…

"I suppose we could Sort her tonight," Dumbledore said. "That way…"

"No," Snape said as he suddenly came back to the conversation. "She should know what year she's in first."

"I agree with Severus," McGonagall stated. "It's the middle of the night. We might as well wait until morning to do all of it."

"She can stay in Slytherin," Snape said, as Madame Pomfrey burst through the door. She immediately began examining the young girl.

"How thoughtful, Severus, to remember that one of your girls had moved. What a splendid idea," Dumbledore agreed.

"Have you come to any conclusions?" McGonagall asked as Madame Pomfrey walked towards the small congregation.

"She may have a slight concussion and she's pretty roughed up," the woman said, "but what worries me is not her condition. I think you'd better take a look at this." She flattened a crumpled piece of paper on Dumbledore's desk. It read:

To Whom May Be Concerned:

This girl now belongs to you. She no longer has parents or a home. Do not try to find either, for she has brought shame upon both. Neither wants to be found.

She will tell you anything else you need to know.

That was where it ended. The three professors looked up in astonishment.

"I guess it's settled then," McGonagall said in amazement. "I'll just call Hagrid back."

"No need, Minerva," Snape said. "I'll take her."

"Severus are - " she started to say as he gently lifted the young girl into his arms. "Alright, then." She nodded.

"She'll be fine in the morning, though she may have a headache," Madame Pomfrey said.

"I'll leave her a note for when she wakes up, and a potion," he said as he walked out of the door.

He studied her as he walked. She was very small, fragile even. He would have been surprised if she was tall enough to reach his shoulder. She also looked emaciated, like she had never eaten more than a meal and a half in a day. He wondered who had been her caregivers.

Her eyes flickered again, and once more he saw a flash of brilliant green. There was no doubt about it, history would repeat itself. The Sorting Hat would declare her a Gryffindor before it even touched her head. No, he couldn't let that happen. There was too much going on, and he had to take care of her this time. He couldn't let that happen again.

As he laid her down in the empty bed in the dormitory, he paused to consider what to put in his note. As he thought, he searched his pockets for the potion that took head pain away. These days, he always carried it with him.

He found, as he laid the potion on her bedside table, that Dumbledore had somehow already written a note and sent it there. Now it merely waited to be opened. Dumbledore must have known that he wouldn't be able to find the correct words. But then, these days Dumbledore seemed to know everything.

Severus Snape walked out of the dormitories and back to his residence, to await whatever the next morning was going to bring.


	2. Section 2

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

"Now, please explain to me how you got here, Rose," the man with the long white beard asked.

"My fa – well, my ex-father now, I guess," she said from across the desk. "I'm Muggle-born, you see, and when my family and I discovered my abilities they immediately assumed that I had been possessed by some kind of demon. When the letter from the wizarding school came, they became convinced. Still, they sent me there, hoping that this was a place to 'cure' me. But at the end of my first year, the school asked me very politely, even though my marks were excellent, to not return the following year. So far, this exact thing has happened to me at every single school I've attended. After the last one, my parents decided that, in order to rid themselves of 'this demon,' they needed to get rid of me. And so my father left me on the stairs."

"You have quite the story," he said after contemplating for a while. "Which other schools have you attended?"

"Well, let's see," she considered. She began counting on her fingers. "There was the one in Ireland my first year, the one in Norway my second, but oh, what were their names? Oh, nevermind, I can't remember. And, oh yes, last year was Beaxbaton."

"So, am I correct in assuming that you would be a fourth year now?" he asked. She wished she could remember his name. Bumblebart…no, that wasn't it, perhaps Thumblebore? No, that couldn't be it…

"Yes," she replied, snapping back to attention.

"And why did they ask you not to come back, if I may ask?"

She shrugged. "The students didn't like me. And if the students didn't like me, neither did the staff."

"Well I'm sure that will change here, Miss McGenny. Now, we should probably get to the matter of Sorting – "

Just at that moment, someone came running in.

"Professor Dumbledore!" the voice from the running someone said. _Dumbledore,_ she thought. _That's it!_ She turned around to face the boy, and was suddenly staring into what she thought were the most intriguing gray eyes she had ever seen.


	3. Section 3

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

"Professor Snape said you sent for me," Draco said, unable to take his eyes off of the girl. She was unusually beautiful, with wild black hair, skin as pale as snow, and eyes of a captivating green. Those eyes, they were staring at him, and they were so beautiful, and –

"Draco!" Dumbledore fairly shouted.

"Yes?" the boy asked, slowly coming back to reality.

"This is Miss Rose McGenny," the headmaster replied. "Could you escort her to Professor Snape please, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Y-yes, of course," Draco said.

"We will talk more later," Dumbledore said to the girl. "Enjoy yourself on your first day!" he said as they left.

They walked along in silence for a bit while Draco tried desperately to think of something to say to her. Finally, he decided to just open his mouth and hope that whatever came out of it didn't seem too idiotic.

"So when did you arrive?" he asked.

She carefully avoided looking at his face. "Oh, last night sometime. Later on, I believe," she answered carefully.

"Oh, so it was you making all that noise? We all thought Potter had gotten into more trouble." He smirked.

She turned to face him, mortified. "Everyone heard that? Does everyone know it was me?"

"No," Draco said. "Now only the two of us know, besides the professors."

"Can we keep it that way?" Rose asked. Draco nodded. "And Potter…do you mean _the_ Harry Potter goes to school here too? What's he like?"

Draco scowled deeply and began counting off adjectives on his fingers. "Annoying, conceited, self-obsessed…"

"Oh," Rose answered quickly.

"So, where are you from?" Draco asked, eager to change the subject.

"Ireland, originally. But I've spent some time in Norway, too, and at Beaxbaton," she stated.

"Oh, yes, Beaxbaton is one of the schools here for the tournament. What year are you?"

"Fourth," she replied. "And what tournament?"

"The Triwizard Cup Tournament. It hasn't been held for quite some time, and it's between a student from each school: Durmstrang, Beaxbaton, and here, Hogwarts. Only we're too young to enter. But there's going to be a ball and everything," Draco said excitedly.

"A-a ball?" Rose asked. She paled a bit. Draco wasn't quite sure how that was possible.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "Do you not know how to dance?" he teased.

"Of course I know how to dance, and I love balls," she replied. "It's just, balls don't usually love me."

Draco realized that they were almost at Snape's door. He paused in front of it when they got there. "You will have to explain yourself another time," he said as he opened the door for her.

"Thank you." She gave him a quick smile as she entered the room.

"Sit down, Miss McGenny," Snape said as she walked towards him. "You may go, Draco," he said.

"Oh, right," Draco said as he left.

As he put some space between himself and the door, he let himself think about what had just happened. She was gorgeous. Maybe he had found someone to take to the ball after all.


	4. Section 4

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

"How are you liking Hogwarts so far, Miss McGenny?" Snape asked as she sat down.

"It's quite nice. This is a beautiful castle, Professor. However, the other schools were nice too until they kicked me out," she stated.

"So I've heard. I've already talked to the headmaster. So, why didn't the students like you, Rose?" he inquired.

She looked down, avoiding his eyes. "They thought I was a freak."

He started. This story was starting to sound a little familiar. "And why, if I may ask, did they call you that?"

"Because," she said. "I'm a Muggle-born, and…" She was at a loss of words.

"And what?" he nearly shouted.

"I can…talk to things!" she blurted out.

"What sorts of things?" he asked warily.

"Anything! I can speak any language you could ever dream of without ever even knowing what it is! I could carry on a conversation with a cat if I wanted to!" she exclaimed. "Actually, I did once. That's what got me thrown out of Beaxbaton. One of the girls caught me. From then on, it was like I wasn't even there." She looked him straight in the eyes, the intensity of the green drilling straight through his skull. "It was the worst day of my life. Ten times worse than it was at the other schools."

He studied her for a moment. She was so much like Lily he could barely stand it. "Come with me," he said suddenly.

A few moments later found them interrupting what seemed to be a Transfiguration class. Eventually, Snape got Professor McGonagall's attention and she walked out into the hallway.

"She says she can speak languages, Minerva, any language," he said before she even had a chance to speak. "She also says she can talk to cats. I'd like her to prove this."

Professor McGonagall sighed. "All right, Severus." Rose just stood there, looking very confused and a little frightened. All of a sudden, Professor McGonagall vanished. Rose gasped and looked around, and finally looked down. There she saw a cat with unusual markings around its face. The cat made a "mew"ing noise.

To Snape's surprise, the girl and the cat began having some type of conversation. After a while of this, McGonagall resumed her original form. "The girl is telling the truth, Severus. She talks as plainly to me in cat form as she does when I am human," she said as she returned to her waiting class.

They walked in silence back to his office. Once safely there with the door closed, he began to speak. "You're sure you didn't just pick that up somewhere? Perform a spell on yourself that could make you speak in…well…cat?"

"No, sir," she answered indignantly. "My brother knew I could do it before I did."

"Your brother?" Snape asked inquisitively.

"Yes," she nodded. "He was a little older than me, and we were best friends. Bright blue eyes, dark brown hair. He took after my father's side of the family, while I took after my mother's. Anyway, I didn't notice I could do anything strange, until he realized that he couldn't talk to the next door neighbor's dog. Then one night he told Mom and Dad; that's when they began suspecting that there was something wrong with me. They took me to doctors and religious people all over, until I got the acceptance letter. Danny thought it was cool, my special ability, until my parents started telling him that if he continued to encourage me the demon would get him too. Then they went him to boarding school. When he came back, he was…different. He avoided me, and when I confronted him about it, he shouted at me that I was a freak and to leave him alone." A single, proud tear dropped down her face; she quickly wiped it away. Snape looked away. He sensed that she was the type who hated crying in front of others.

He cleared his throat. "Well, Rose, I can assure you that Hogwarts is a place where talents like yours are appreciated. Draco should be here any moment to take you back to your room. You may as well unpack; you'll be here a while. When it is time for dinner, Draco will escort you there. In the meantime, feel free to explore the castle."

"Thank you," she said as Draco rushed through the door.

"Are you all right?" he said as they stepped into the hallway.

"Yes," she said simply. They walked for quite a while in silence, and the Draco remembered her comment about dancing.

"So what were you saying earlier? About the ball?" he asked.

"I've never had a good time at a ball," she stated.

"Why not?" He was quite curious as to why this lovely girl was not happy with her experiences.

"I was either never invited, or invited as a joke. I did not enjoy being the subject of everyone else's laughter as my supposed date dumped me," she ranted.

"Oh, I see," he replied. He had no clue what to say next. So he didn't.

As they neared the door of the common room, she said, "You really don't have to take me everywhere. You must have friends you'd rather be with. I would understand."

He smiled at her. "It's really no problem at all. I enjoy it, really, I do. So, see you here before dinner, then?"

She nodded, and his smile broadened. He walked through to the common room. She took a deep breath and followed him, to meet her new roommates.


	5. Section 5

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

"Albus! It seems we have a problem!"

"What is it, Minerva?" Professor Dumbledore said calmly as she marched in.

"It seems Miss McGenny's parents _have _given her up. She has no one," Professor McGonagall said.

"What a pity. And such a waste," Dumbledore sighed.

"What do we do with her?" McGonagall inquired.

"The only thing we can," he answered. "Take her in. Hogwarts will be her home. And we, Minerva, that is to say, the faculty, will need to be her family."

"I will…alert everyone right away," she said.

"Good. I think this will go well. Severus, even, has seemed to take quite a liking to her. Oh, and Minerva, I think we should all tell her."

"Very well," she said, and walked out of the office.


	6. Section 6

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

He saw her as he was making his way towards the girls' dormitory. It seemed she had just left.

"How did it go?" he asked as she got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Well…I think," she answered him.

"Who're you rooming with?" he asked.

"Their names were Pansy, Astoria, and…em…Amelia, I believe. They seemed so cold, though, like they didn't care if I was there or not." She frowned. "In fact, everyone I've met in Slytherin seems to be like that. Except you, Draco. Why is that?"

"Th-that's just the Slytherin way. They'll warm up to you, Rose," he said. _Hopefully,_ he thought. "Who wouldn't?" He smiled warmly.

"Yes, well, I did meet a very nice girl from Gryffindor while I was roaming the castle. Her name was Ginny Weasel…Weasey…"

"Weasley," he said darkly. "We do not associate with them."

"And why shouldn't I?" Rose asked indignantly. "She was very nice. A third year, she said."

"Gryffindors and Slytherins usually don't get along," Draco stated stiffly.

"Ah, yes, Dumbledore explained the rivalry of the houses to me," she remembered. "I wonder why though…"

"We're made of different stuff, I guess," he said. "I bet the Sorting Hat took quite a while on you."

She looked at him quizzically. "Hat? What hat?"

"Didn't you get Sorted?"

"What are you talking about, Draco? You aren't making any sense. I didn't get 'sorted' into anything."

"Sorting is how they place you into a house," Draco explained. "They do this by putting a hat on your head that decides and then screams out the name of the house. If you weren't Sorted, how are you in Slytherin?"

"I was placed here because there was an extra bed. I assumed that was how everyone was placed. Maybe that's what the Headmaster meant when he told me he needed to explain something later…"

He tried to put this out of his mind as he steered her out of the common room and towards the Great Hall. She followed him without resisting. She gazed at the high ceilings while he pulled her, until a group of Beaxbaton girls walked by. She started at their giggling and suddenly darted behind Draco, gluing her eyes to the ground. He drew himself up as big as he possibly could, hiding her like he knew she wanted him to. Once they passed, she sighed, her eyes still on the floor.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Nothing," she said quickly. "I'd just rather they not know I'm here." She blushed. "They were never really my…friends," she admitted.

"Well," he said, trying to think of a way to make her feel better, "they did seem like they had a stick up their rears." Draco then proceeded to imitate what he thought was an excellent portrayal of the way they walked. He snatched a glance at Rose; she was giggling. He strutted around some more, and suddenly she was full out laughing. Soon they were both on the ground, rolling with laughter. Draco was the happiest he'd ever been. After the laughter subsided, they stayed on the floor. She sighed.

"I haven't been this happy since – " she began.

"A-hem," someone said sharply. Draco opened his eyes to see Pansy, Astoria, and Amelia staring down at him. "What is going on?" Pansy said as she sneered down at him. He picked himself up off of the floor.

"Nothing," he sneered back at her. _Time to get back to normal,_ he thought. "Now, what do you want?" he snapped, cold and harsh. Pansy smiled, seeming satisfied that he was back to his "normal" self.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that there's a rumor that Fred and George Weasley found a way to enter the Tournament," she said as she batted her eyes.

"So?" he asked shortly.

"So I thought you might be trying to figure out a way, too," she said.

"No. Why would I do that?" he said flatly. "I could get killed. I'm far too valuable for that." He began walking down the hallway and the three girls followed him like puppies. He glanced over his shoulder to see Rose watching him, pale faced and wide eyed, and trailing slowly behind the small entourage. She stayed that way until they sat down at the Slytherin table, beside Amelia who sat beside of Pansy who was directly in front of Draco. After a little while, Rose excused herself, and they all watched as she joined Ginny and went out the door.

"What is wrong with her?" Pansy asked.

"She seems sort of weird," Astoria commented.

"She's certainly not like you," Draco stated.

"Does she understand the House differences?" Pansy asked, disgusted.

"She didn't even get Sorted," Draco said coldly.

"What?" Crabbe and Goyle, who sat on either side of Draco, said at the same time.

"How shameful!" Astoria cried.

"So how did she even get put in Slytherin?" Pansy sneered.

"Another pity vote on Dumbledore's part, I imagine," said Crabbe. Draco nodded.

"At least she's kind of pretty," Goyle said.

"You think that bushy-haired nobody that doesn't belong is pretty?" Pansy gasped.

_Prettier than you_, Draco thought.


	7. Section 7

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

The next morning found Snape eager to see Rose in class. Finally, he had her for Potions. He watched her closely, wanting to know how she was getting along with her fellow Slytherins and how much she knew.

He noticed that she sat near the back, her head mostly down, but she answered every question he asked her correctly. After a while, he started to watch the rest of the class's reactions to her. He saw sneers and wary glances from the Slytherins, and he became worried.

"Miss McGenny," he said as he walked by her during his lecture. "You will see me after class." He saw her look up, terrified, but she nodded. The rest of the Slytherins snickered.

After class, she waited until all of the other students had left before she slowly walked up to see Snape. "Did I do something wrong?" was the first thing she asked.

"No, no," he replied. "I simply wished to know how your first day has been."

"Good," she replied. "I like learning."

_She's not going to tell me how rude they are,_ he thought to himself.

"How do you like your roommates?" he asked her, changing his tactics.

"They are…lovely girls, I'm sure," she said uncertainly.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"No," she said. "They just found out that I was Muggle-born, and so they disapprove."

"Ah yes," Snape sighed. "Well I'm sure that if there is any problem, you will let me know." She nodded and he dismissed her.


	8. Section 8

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

Meanwhile, Draco was lurking outside, waiting to talk to Rose himself. As she walked out he fell into step beside her, but she distanced herself from him and allowed herself to get lost in the crowd.

Several more times during the next few days, the same type of thing happened. She began to be known as the Slytherin girl who was friends with the Gryffindors, and also the student favored by Snape, even more than Draco. But Draco wasn't willing to let her go. Though the Triwizard Tournament was soon to start and he was still trying to take Potter down a notch, he wanted to focus most of his attention on getting to know her. From what he saw of her, he liked her.

He noticed that she seemed to get paler, if that was possible, and somehow smaller. He also noticed that Snape (_Snape!_) seemed to be concerned about her. So he was too. Draco started to become more distant, sneaking glances and cataloguing them into his memory. After a couple of days, he realized that something was seriously wrong. She was no longer the girl he first met in Dumbledore's office. She was introverted and withdrawn, and wary of people around her. He asked Pansy and Astoria about it, but all they said was that they didn't care about the Mudblood. But he did. He had to know.

Finally, he found his chance.

He was in the library, a place he went to think when things got too crowded elsewhere. He was wondering who the champions would be, when he walked around a corner to see Rose reaching for a book. It was well within his reach, but her hand barely touched the shelf it sat on. He went to get it for her but as soon as he touched it she fell backwards. He caught her with his empty hand and steadied her while she regained her balance. After she did, he reached for the book, intending to keep it until he knew what was wrong.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I must have blacked-out for a moment there."

"What's wrong?" he said.

"Nothing," Rose replied as she tried to take the book from Draco.

"No," he said quickly. "You're not getting the book until I get answers." The librarian witch came around the corner just then, giving them a glare. He smiled at her, and she left. When he turned back to Rose, it seemed she was wobbling again. He quickly took her arm and led her back to a table that looked like she had been studying on it. She sat.

"What do you want to know?" she asked him wearily as he sat down.

"What was that?" he whispered angrily. "What if I hadn't been there to catch you? You could've been here for hours and nobody would've found you. What is going on?"

"I'm a little tired and hungry is all," she mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

"No," Draco said. "No, that's more than a little. Look at you," he said as he reached out to touch her face. "You're white as a ghost. Why?"

She turned so that he couldn't touch her. "If you really must know," she replied, "my roommates call me names and insult me and threaten to do terrible things to me when I sleep. So I don't. I wait until I can come here, or somewhere else I can hide. And as I am deprived of sleep, I have lost my appetite." He stared at her with a shocked look on his face. "Anything else?" she asked.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" he asked. "I've been trying to talk to you, but every time you wander away like you don't even see me. Why?"

"You're just like all the others," she said softly. "I thought you were someone else, someone like me. But you aren't. You're cold and thoughtless, just like them."

She stood up, wavered a little and started to walk away. "Wait," he said as he pulled her back to her seat. "I can explain."

"So do it. Explain yourself," she said accusingly.

"My entire life I have been surrounded by people – family, peers, other…older people – who expect me to _be_ somebody. They've instructed me on who I should hate, what I should think, and how I should act. And I hated every bit of it, but I did it because it was expected. I've been a prisoner in my own head. And then I met you, who had no preconceived notion of what the Malfoys were supposed to be. You were so nice, I just wanted to be my _real_ self with you. But I can be that only with you; not with anybody else. They can't know. I'm sorry, so sorry, alright? But this is all I can do." He looked down.

"But how am I supposed to know? How am I supposed to trust you?" she asked.

"You can't know. And you just have to trust me that this is really the person I am." Draco shrugged. Rose nodded.

"Any more questions?" Her voice had softened and she looked at him with empathy instead of accusations.

"Have you really lost your appetite because you're afraid of Pansy?" he asked.

She sighed. "No. I'm worried about my brother, Danny. We used to be best friends until my parents started feeding him lies. But even after that…well, he didn't believe all of them. We always took care of each other. But now he's not answering my owls, and he's never ignored them before. In fact, they all come back to me unanswered and unopened. But I don't know. Perhaps they moved," She yawned.

"Perhaps," Draco agreed.

"And really, the staff here has been very kind." Her head was slowly drooping. "Especially Professor Snape," she said, her head finally falling onto her arm. "He really is a very kind man." And with one more blink of her green eyes, she was asleep on the table.

She was asleep, and he felt terrible about what he had done but knew that it had been unavoidable, so he took her hand and hoped he could make it up to her.

A moment later he heard a noise, not loud enough to wake the sleeping girl but intense enough to attract his attention. He looked up to see a glaring Snape at the end of the shelves, so he carefully snatched his hand back and stood. Snape made a slight motion with his head, and Draco followed him towards the back of the library.

As Draco began to attempt to defend himself, Snape shook his head.

"Mr. Malfoy," he sneered. "I do not care about anything I have heard or seen, in fact I have already forgotten it. However, if you should hurt her or if you should be the one causing her obvious distress, it will not bode well for you. She is the responsibility of the faculty and it would be extremely unfortunate should a student case her harm." Snape's glare became more intense.

"I had nothing to do with this," Draco said, hooding his eyes to make him look distant and cold as he knew how to do so well. "Her condition is not my doing, nor does it have anything to do with me."

"Whether you suspect it or not, Draco, it does have something to do with you, though I think not directly. I would, however, be content if you would enlighten me on the reasons why Miss McGenny has not been eating or sleeping," Snape said with disdain.

"Well, she said she was worried about her brother – " Draco began.

"No!" Snape yelled. "I meant something I – we could do something about!"

"It's her roommates, alright? They're not very polite. Can I go now?" Draco said. Snape sighed and nodded.

Draco hurried back to the common room.


	9. Section 9

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

Snape slowly walked back to his office while thinking about this dilemma. It was plausible that this was the reason for Rose's obvious decline; however with no evidence, his hands were tied. He decided that some course of action would be taken when proof was provided. He moved on to the next thing on his mind as he walked into his door.

Rose obviously had something to do with the Potter boy. It was ridiculous to think that they didn't. They shared features; the hair, the eyes, they were the same. The hair could be a coincidence, but the eyes were completely Lily's. Could there have been another… _No, _Snape decided. Harry was their only child.

But he needed to know more. So he sat at his desk and began to write a letter.


	10. Section 10

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

About a week later, Snape noticed Rose walking down the hall towards him, with Mrs. Norris at her feet. She was reading, and whenever she was about to run into someone the cat would nudge her ankles and make some sort of sound. Once she did this, Rose would respond, obviously in the cat's tongue. As the odd pair walked past a group of girls, the group stopped.

"Hey, Rose," one girl said. Snape recognized her as Pansy Parkinson. Rose looked up. "Are you talking to the cat?" Pansy asked accusingly.

Rose blushed. "I –"

"I knew it!" Pansy shrieked. "You're such a freak!" she said as the other two girls cackled. Rose hung her head. "Freak!" she squealed as she shoved Rose and walked quickly off with her posse.

Snape watched as she fell backwards and hit her head on the edge of the window. He winced as he heard her hit the floor, and hurried when she didn't get up. As he knelt beside her, she opened her eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked her. She nodded.

"Did you…see that?" she asked. He nodded. "I'm sorry," she said.

"It's not your fault," he said.

"Yes, it is," she said. "If I wasn't a…a freak, Pansy would have had no reason to –"

"No," he said. "She's just jealous. That she's ordinary, and you're special." Snape remembered the last time he had said those exact words. Lily, sweet Lily, had said to him…

"That's mean, Professor," Rose said as she tried to smile. Snape started. Yes, that was almost exactly what Lily had said to him. He was really going to need to look into this. He helped her up; she thanked him and walked away quickly. Snape walked back to his office, the pain she was attempting to hide nearly killing him. He had seen that look, in almost those same eyes, before.


	11. Section 11

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

He found her singing with a couple of mermaids. The mermaids sounded terrible to him, but not her. Her voice was sweet and high, the song mournful, even though he couldn't understand the words. They disappeared when they saw him, and she turned around quickly. She seemed relieved that it was him.

"Hey," he said. "What happened?"

"You saw that?" she sighed. He nodded. "Why can't I just be normal?" she asked.

"If you were normal, you'd be just like Pansy. You're special, Rose." He smiled at her. "Obviously, you have to be special to be able to listen to the mermaids for long. How do you do it?"

"I suppose it's better when you understand what they're saying," she replied.

"What are they saying?" Draco asked.

"They're singing about the complications of the heart," she replied. Draco's heart skipped a beat.

"I really am sorry about the way I acted," he told her. "I know it's wrong, but I have to keep up this face."

"It's alright; I understand," she replied. "Can you believe Harry's luck?"

He knew what she was referring to; Harry had been named a Hogwarts champion along with Cedric, and Draco thought it was disgusting.

"I wouldn't call this luck," Draco replied sourly. "I'd call it cheating."

"Draco!" she gasped. "How could he have done that. I mean, he's only our age. I know he couldn't enter; he wouldn't even know the right spells."

He scowled. "He probably had one of the older boys put it in for him," Draco accused.

"I don't think so," she said. "That doesn't seem to be his style. And I kind of like Harry. He seems very…familiar to me somehow."

An awkward silence followed this. It was an awful couple of minutes for Draco, until he saw Pansy, Astoria, and Amelia coming towards them. Draco panicked.

"Rose," he said in a hurry. "I need to keep my cover. Please, pretend I've just badly insulted you. And if I do actually insult you, please know that I don't mean any of it."

She looked at him with a sly smile. "Well, you do make a cute weasel," she teased.

He blushed. He had hoped she hadn't heard about that incident. He also now hoped that he could pass this blush off as anger.

As the three girls approached them, Pansy started speaking. "Mind if we take Draco?" she said as she pulled him back towards the castle. He turned around just in time to see Rose wave. Before he could think of how to respond, she had already turned away.

"Now, Draco," Pansy had been saying, "the Yule Ball, while still a while away, needs to be properly planned for. People of our status can't be seen trying to find a date when everyone else does. We've got to be solid in our decision. And we have to go with just the right person."

Draco sighed. "What do you want Pansy?" he asked.

She smiled at him, a fake smile. "Well, it's only logical that we go to the ball together," she said.

_NO! _his mind screamed at him. _I want to go with Rose, not her. I want to dance with Rose, hold Rose in my arms; Rose is the only one –_

"I'll think about it," he replied coldly. He pushed past the girls and ran to his room. He needed to think.

Unfortunately, when he got to his room, he wasn't the only one there. Crabbe and Goyle were there, too. He sighed and laid down on his bed.

"Have you talked to Pansy?" Goyle asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Well? Are you going to the ball with her?" Crabbe asked.

"I haven't decided yet," Draco answered. "Who are you two going to take, Astoria and Amelia?"

"Well, I was going to take Astoria, but Goyle can't take Amelia because she's with some fifth year bloke. But you should definitely take Pansy," Crabbe said with a nod.

Draco smirked. "And why is that? Why don't you take Pansy, Goyle?"

"Well, it would help your reputation to go with her. And because she only wants to go with you," Goyle replied. "And then I'll ask Rose," he said dreamily.

At first, Draco felt sick that Goyle would be taking HIS Rose. But the more he thought about it, the more it almost sounded like a good idea. He would get to spend at least some time with Rose at the ball; maybe he could even get a dance in somehow…

"Alright," he said. "I'll take Pansy." After all, if this was the best he could get, he would take it.


	12. Section 12

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

Weeks passed, and still Snape was waiting. Any day now, any day, the owl would arrive. And he could settle his mind, and all could be at peace. As long as…well, as long as _he_ didn't find out…

Suddenly a small owl flew into the office. Snape gathered the rather large bunch of parchment from it and sent it on its merry way. _This is quite a lot for a simple family tree_, Snape thought. He began by opening an envelope which looked cleaner and newer than anything in the rest of the pile. It read:

Severus,

I do hope that this finds you well. I am doing fine, as is my family. All that I found on the subject you requested I research is included here, but I did not take the time to make a master tree as more influential people than I have started to become suspicious about time being wasted and I have concluded that it is essential that you come to your own conclusions about what these papers may mean.

I wish you good luck with your strange endeavor.

Sincerely,

Rasmus Tremblegreen

His brows furrowed as he thought of others discovering his inquiries. As he leafed through the scraps of parchment, he began to notice a peculiar pattern developing. The dates on each went farther and farther back in time. Plus, none of the names mentioned were names of wizards or witches, even the ones from a long time ago. He was sure that someone, somewhere down her line, had magic inside of them, but he was almost to the bottom of the pile and he still hadn't found…

Then there, at the very bottom of the pile, were three small, very crumpled pieces of paper. One was a Muggle wedding certificate, and the others were copies of two different birth certificates of two wizards. As he studied them, Snape realized that the children named on the birth certificates were the same two whose union was solidified on the other sheet. Something seemed very familiar about those names.

He studied them for a few moments before recalling where he knew them from. After shoving everything the man had sent into a locked drawer, he rushed out of the room. He needed to take a trip to the Ministry.


	13. Section 13

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

Draco waited sat the bottom of the stairs with Crabbe and Goyle for the girls while he tried to pull himself together. _At least this way I can keep an eye on her_, Draco considered as he watched Goyle eye a blonde girl as she walked down the hall.

"Don't I just look gorgeous, Draco?" said a voice from farther up the stairs. He looked up to see Pansy, dressed in the pinkest, puffiest gown he had ever seen. Her expectant gaze prompted him to respond.

"I'm sure the Yule Ball will never have seen anyone quite like you," he carefully stated as Astoria appeared. Her choice had been a floor-length dark purple number with sleeves and a square neck, an unforgiving dress. Draco inwardly cringed, recalling all of the times his parents had attempted to convince him that she was his perfect match. She was too stern for him; his parents, however, would never take no for an answer. It was almost as if they had already made the decision for him.

She walked down the stairs towards them with no fanfare at all, just the overconfident assumption that she was the center of the room. Pansy began to follow, but then took a look behind herself and stopped.

"Are you coming or not?" she yelled towards their room, then shrugged and continued to descend. Draco rolled his eyes when she winked at him.

But then, everything stopped. No one said a word as Rose stepped into view. Her gray dress hugged her slender figure to her hips, where it became a flowing cascade of material. It moved gracefully around her as she walked down to them, and as she moved the dress shimmered in the light. She smiled at him as she passed, and when she turned he saw the simple braid restraining all of her hair besides a few rebellious strands around her face. As she silently gasped, the moment ended and he realized that Pansy had begun chattering at him and Rose had gingerly taken Goyle's arm.

The three couples made their way to the Great Hall, Draco kicking himself mentally the whole way for allowing Rose to go with anyone but himself. _She isn't even interested in him,_ he growled to himself in disgust as he watched her struggle with the urge to put as much distance between her and her date as she could.

Finally they arrived, just in time to see the champions of the tournament enter. After that, the party started and Draco pretended to enjoy dancing with Pansy as she twittered on and on about everyone else there. Crabbe and Goyle had eaten the entire time, so Rose and Astoria were stuck at the table with them, Astoria coldly ignoring Rose.

Soon, however, another girl approached Pansy and whispered in her ear, causing Pansy to declare that she would return in a bit. Draco hurriedly made his way to the table as Crabbe and Goyle got up. Astoria had apparently followed Pansy. Draco took the seat next to a silent Rose. He noticed that the color was back in her face and that she didn't seem so tired. "Your dress is nice," he said uncertainly, not quite sure where to start.

"You like it?" she asked. He nodded. "The mermaids made it for me. I was afraid they would go over the top, but I guess…" She looked down and blushed. They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Draco finally decided to make his move. A slow song began to play, and he stood up and bowed to her, holding out his hand.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked. He looked up to see the biggest smile on her face that he had ever seen.

"Why not?" she replied as she took his outstretched hand. He led her to the dance floor, where they began to sway in time with all of the other couples there.

"You do look beautiful. That color suits you," he stated. "You also look like you have been getting better sleep."

She blushed and looked away. "Thank you," she said. "And yes, my brother finally responded to my owls. It was a bit short, but I believe my patents have been attempting to confiscate and return all of them."

"Are you having a good time?" he asked gingerly.

She struggled to answer. "Er…well…it's a very nice ball…"

"But it's not great when you don't come with the person you want," he took a shot in the dark.

"You mean, you didn't want Pansy to be your date?" she teased. They grinned at each other and suddenly their faces were much closer than he had noticed before, and the moment became intense.

"Not at all," he murmured, and her face inched closer (or was it his face moving?) and closer, until their lips…

"DRACO MALFOY, WHAT IN THE WORLD DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!" Well, almost met. They separated quickly, tensions high and adrenaline pumping. "YOU CAME WITH ME, DRACO MALFOY, AND I WILL NOT HAVE THIS HIDEOUS LITTLE WENCH RUINING MY NIGHT!" Pansy screamed again. Draco turned back and forth between her and Rose, uncertain of what he should do. Rose, on the other hand, was just staring at the floor. Suddenly she looked up.

"He can do what he wants. You don't control his life. Or mine," she said quietly but right in Pansy's face. Rose looked at Draco for support, but he couldn't do it. That would ruin everything.

"I'm sorry," he whispered quietly to Pansy. "Momentary lapse of judgment."

Rose stared at him in shock. "Fine. But watch out, Pansy. The hideous little wench beside you already ruined my night." She stomped off. Draco watched her race out the door and began to follow.

"Don't you even think about it!" Pansy hissed. Draco hung his head and walked back to the table.

For the rest of the night, they sat at the table while Pansy complained that she was bored. Finally, Draco told her to just go dance with someone else and he walked out to find Rose, who had just risen from the stairs.

He opened his mouth to start apologizing, but she interrupted him. "If you think you are going to just stand there and apologize and I am going to forgive you just like that, forget it. You're too late."

"I'm sorry, alright? It's just become self-preservation now, going along with whatever they want. I don't even know what I want for me anymore! But I do know that I didn't come with who I wanted to tonight!" he yelled at her.

"That explains nothing! You think I wanted to come with your idiot friend tonight? No! I did not! I wanted to come with a guy who I thought wanted to come with me too but apparently not because he asked the meanest girl I've ever met!" she screamed back.

"WELL I WANTED TO COME WITH YOU!"

"AND I WANTED TO COME WITH YOU!"

They both blushed. He started towards her, but then they heard Pansy and Astoria approaching, and she ran up the stairs back to her room.

When the group finally reached Draco, he was just staring at the stairs in shock. She had told him that she wanted to come with him. But that didn't mean that she was ever going to forgive him this time.


	14. Section 14

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

Rose sat across the desk from him, looking distracted. Distracted in a way that suggested she wanted to be.

"And how did the ball go?" Snape asked for the second time.

"Hmm? Oh, it was…well, it was just a ball. I don't mix well with them, I'm afraid," she replied cryptically.

"Hmm. Well, I apologize if it did not live up to your expectations." Snape had, of course, heard all about what had happened between Rose and Draco. In fact, he heard it directly from the source. Half of the source, that is. Noticing that Rose had been carefully ignoring Draco since the ball, which had been several days ago, he had rounded Draco up after Potions one day and demanded the whole story. However, he also took note that this was not affecting her health (which was a great relief), only her attention span. She was eager to think about anything and everything else if it meant she didn't have to think about him.

Which perhaps troubled him more. She had taken a risky assignment from Dumbledore, one that could potentially put her into a very dangerous position.

"And Dumbledore's request? Have you found anything new?" he asked.

"No," she said quickly. "I have been studying the cup, though. I know that Dumbledore said that no spell would allow an underage wizard to put their name in, but I know sometimes, well, let's just say sometimes things fall through the cracks. But I haven't found any so far. My next step is to look into the adults, because it must have been one of them. But I can't seem to figure out a reason anyone would want to put Harry's name in the cup, so I'm just going to keep an eye out for someone whose actions don't quite match up with their words."

Snape could see she had already put much time and thought into this, and he knew that this was serving as her main diversion from the blond haired boy trying to get her attention. "Well, I have some other news for you. Something I have been looking into," he said.

Her eyes flew to his face. He had her full attention. He caught his breath, and for a moment she was Lily, right before he would tell her some story about how the pots stir themselves that seemed so ordinary to him, but so wondrous to her. Then he snapped back to his senses.

"You have reminded me of someone from the moment you arrived," he stated plainly, "and I cannot think that you have not noticed your resemblance to the Potter boy."

"Oh, yes, I suppose we do look something alike," she responded, rather confused.

"Well, I have done some research into your family tree, and thought you would like to know. You are descended from two powerful wizards, who had a child that was a Squib. Your mother and Harry's mother are extremely distant cousins, that goes all the way back to that child." Rose's face lit up.

"Thank you, Professor," she said. "You know, I had wondered about where I had come from and I – "

His mouth turned up into his thin smile. "And one more thing, before you go, Rose."

"Yes?"

"Don't be too hard on the Malfoy boy. I think that perhaps you had someone along the way that showed you what love truly looks like. Imagine that you never had that person, that absolutely no one loved you just the way you were and that even the people who should love you the most only cared about what others thought of you, perhaps because that was all the care that had ever been shown to them. Then you will have imagined his life." Snape sighed. "He doesn't mean to be a coward, it's all he knows."

She looked away, hurt by this thought. After a moment, she nodded at Snape and left the office.

Later, during lunch, Snape was observing Rose eating with her friends. She was doing so much better now that she was sitting at the Gryffindor table (word had somehow got around that she had not been Sorted) and now she had no trouble with her appetite. Today she was quiet though, finally pondering what she dared not let herself think about before. Then suddenly, her jaw squared and her shoulders lifted. She had made a decision. After excusing herself from her friends, she quietly got up and left the hall.


	15. Section 15

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING DOES!**

Draco heard her coming before he saw her. She and Mrs. Norris were obviously in a heated discussion, with the cat pushing up against her ankles. As she got closer, he saw her stop and send a huffy Mrs. Norris away.

"What did you do to that poor cat?" she said immediately. Her jaw was set; she would not want to hear anything he had to say today. Fortunately, he had finally found a way to get her attention after she had so obviously been avoiding him. Terrorizing Mrs. Norris wasn't nearly as difficult as this conversation was going to be.

"Well… not anything, not really…I just…"

"Oh, don't worry, you don't have to say anything. She already did. She did not appreciate being swung around by her tail." Rose was fuming. Draco never thought she would be this angry with him.

"Well I apologize and I'll do the same to Mrs. Norris later but it was the only way I could get you to even look at me for longer than a second! I just wanted to apologize, ask forgiveness for what happened at the ball. But every time I try to talk to you, you walk away and pretend you don't even see me." He was done. He just wanted to apologize so that she would forgive him and he could start hanging out with her again. To his surprise, she looked shocked. And even a little sorry.

"Well," she sniffed, trying to hide behind nonchalance. "I guess I came down here to forgive you anyway, so forgiving you for bothering Mrs. Norris shouldn't come too hard. Besides, that cat needs to loosen up a bit anyhow." She managed a weak smile and a wink, and he could see everything was ok between them again. Maybe not great, he knew that she would not forgive him so easily again for something such as this, but at least on speaking (and smiling) terms.

He grinned at her, and they started walking towards the lake. He found that's where she went when she needed to think; it was truly her favorite place to be. As they walked, they laughed and talked and caught up on what they'd been missing in the past few weeks: Crabbe's stupidity, the Potions homework they both failed to turn in. He watched her face light up again and again, and those green eyes sparkle with mirth. He couldn't help himself; he grabbed her hand as they walked. She was stunned, but refused to say a word; only glowed brighter. They passed Astoria on their way to the lake. Rose tried to pull her hand away as they passed, but he didn't care. He was done pretending. She lit him up as if she had cast a "Lumos" spell on him, and he was starting to think that going against his parents' wishes wasn't such a bad idea. When they got to the lake, they sat down and she told him about what Snape had said about her heritage. He could tell she was a little nervous, but he was so happy he just didn't care. So what if she was extremely distantly related to Potter? It didn't matter at all.

"So what have you been doing?" Draco finally asked. "Sometimes I would catch you sneaking around, or studying, when you thought I wasn't around. What have you been searching for?"

"Oh," she said, "Dumbledore asked me to try and determine how Harry's name got into the Cup. I was at first looking at the Cup to see if there was some loophole in the spells guarding the entries, or if there was some spell that could alter the age requirement."

"And? Did you find anything?" Suddenly, Draco was very curious about the whole debacle.

"No," Rose replied, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, that turned up nothing. So if a student couldn't have put his name in the cup, I've figured must have been an adult. It couldn't have just appeared out of thin air. The question is, which adult? I haven't done much looking into that angle yet, though." She abruptly looked at him in wonder. "How did you see me if I didn't realize you were there?" she asked.

"Well, sometimes you were so intent in your studies that you – " Draco started.

"No, no, no," Rose interrupted, "I mean the times that I wasn't 'intent in my studies.'"

Draco blushed. "There are some tunnels I've found, near the Great Hall. There's a latch underneath one of the stairs in the hallway."

By this time, she was leaning in so close to him that their upper lips were almost touching. "Draco! I think you may have discovered the way I can keep an eye on people without being seen!" Then she kissed him, full on the mouth, and then backed away in surprise. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I don't know why – "

"Don't be," Draco said, and kissed her again. When they pulled apart, she grinned shyly and jumped up.

"I've…um…got to go…er…try those passageways," she managed to stutter out. "And class…don't you have class?"

"Oh! Yes, yes I'd forgotten," Draco chuckled. He jumped up, kissed her on the forehead, and started to run.

* * *

><p>A few days later, Snape went looking for Rose. He had seen her with Draco a few times (both as red as cherries) and so when Draco passed him in the hallway he pulled him aside.<p>

"Have you seen Rose?" Snape asked.

Draco shook his head. "No, but look by the lake. That's where she likes to go."

* * *

><p>As Snape came upon the lake, he heard a mournful keening and saw the mermaids all out of the water. In their hands, he saw something…odd. It looked almost like…but no…it couldn't be…<p>

"Rose!" he called out, panicked. Frightened, all of the mermaids except one dived. Then the one carefully pushed the body onto the shore and swam away.

He sobbed over her body as he closed her eyes. He couldn't bear to see the fear in them any more. _Why me? _He thought. _Why her? Why does it always have to be her?_

* * *

><p>It was the Killing Curse, of that he was certain. Most likely preceded by a Cruciatus Curse. That fear was so unmistakable. <em>Who would do this? Why? <em>

She must have gotten too close. Too close to the answer of who put Harry's name in the Cup. She must have found that person, and that person killed her for it.

He would have to tell Draco. Oh, he would have to tell Draco.

* * *

><p>He could still hear Draco yelling.<p>

_Is there nothing you can do? When did this happen? How? How could this have happened to her? I won't believe this until I see her! _

He could still see him running into the Infirmary to her side, muttering and mumbling, until he finally slumped down on a chair next to the bed.

_She's so cold. How could she be so cold? She was so warm before. _

He could still see the moment resolution settled over Draco's shoulders. One last kiss to her forehead, and then he walked out and never looked back.

* * *

><p>Astoria found him while he sat by the lake. She sat next to him and waited.<p>

"What do you want?" he said flatly.

She didn't answer for a while. "I never minded her," she finally said. "I always thought she carried around her own bit of light with her. I'm sorry," she added.

"It's Potter's fault. If only he would've backed out. If only he would've been less of a show-off. And I can't do a thing about it."

_Grief is a funny thing, _Astoria thought.

* * *

><p>She sat with him until he got up to leave. In all that time, he didn't say another word, or shed one tear. She decided to keep an eye on him, just in case.<p>

* * *

><p>Deep into the night, the door to the Infirmary opened and a lone figure crept in. As he approached the girl, he thought she looked as though she was merely sleeping. He gently laid the hat on her head, and whispered, "So, what would it have been?"<p>

The Sorting Hat considered for a while. "In the end, she was determined to try, knowing the outcome would be bleak if she could not defeat her assailant…"

* * *

><p>Draco looked at the envelope left on his nightstand. As he opened it, he made sure no one else in the room was watching, and read it to himself.<p>

_Gryffindor,_ it said. _She would have been a Gryffindor._


End file.
